Make the Will compulsory

I have represented families in disputes over corpses. In one case, the corpse was still in the mortuary for more than a month because a delinquent husband, who had virtually discarded his wife, and had had no role in caring for her in her sickness, had developed new love stimulated by the imminence of advantages she had accumulated over their period of separation.

In these disputes, you have a ringside seat in the theatre of love, prejudice, hatred and greed. It is unsightly. On one end, a grief-stricken family would be fighting for nothing but a chance to give their loved one a dignified burial.

They would have been with her through hell and back and half of Gaborone, and would have stood by her bedside in her final moments waiting upon and fulfilling every wish mumbled through her dying lips. These are often, the true bereaved. On the other, a family would be actuated by a tomb raiding motive.

Editor's Comment
Justice delayed is trust denied

Batswana who marched peacefully for 'Justice for Tshepi' demanded answers. They have now received a detailed account of police investigation and a promise that the file is with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The real test is whether the state now keeps its word without further prodding. In his address, the minister asked the nation to trust the process. He spoke of rigour, not neglect, and pointed to 10 months of...

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